jimbo92107

Trade him to the Red Sox. Worked really well for them last time. Demand a sack of baseballs. A case of beer if he becomes Big Papi 2.0. Then call up whoever is playing first base for the Saints. I don't even care who it is, they're bound to be a better hitter and as good a fielder. This 2020 squad is quickly devolving into fool's gold, and nobody exemplifies that like Sano. The Poof came early this season. Sano's a hole in the lineup until July. High-average, power hitting Kirilloff is gone. Paddack looked like he just converted from shortstop for his first game. Is he un-coachable, or is he too hiding arm problems? Okay, I'm projecting misery because I just had a Pfizer booster yesterday. Chills, sore joints, headache, nausea, Kinda entertaining, in a way.... Back under the covers...

Sass. I like my players a little sassy, and Luis Arraez has that in spades. He's sassy. Shows up in his busy-bee plate appearances. Follows every pitch right back to the catcher. Shakes his head impatiently if it's out of the zone. Come on man, don't waste my time! He smells the ribbies, he sees the field. Slap! See how far this one goes! In the field, he's a little shaky. Not enough playing time? Might be part of it. Tips and tricks from superstar Correa might help a bit. Perfect form and balance helps, too. Knees are the problem. They don't tend to get better with more pounding on the field. That's why Baldy's plan right now is probably about right. Sub him in, DH him, move him around the infield, and pinch hit him. DH doesn't need to be a home run monster, if he fits in a certain lineup.

First, let me get this out of the way: Dylan Bundy was boring. All he did was toss the ball in there, lower half, bending left and right, and a fastball spotted pretty well down low. No drama, and the players behind him kept it boring for Seattle the whole game, except a couple exciting goofs by Arraez and Kirilloff. Come on guys! Keep it boring! Second, I hate to see Jhoan Duran get pigeon-holed into the closer position. I know, he threw a bunch of pitches over 100 mph, and he literally blew away three Seattle hitters. I'd still rather see him pitch more than one inning. I respect his desire to eventually graduate from the bullpen to the starting rotation. On the other hand... woof! That was a lot of hondos! This guy is definitely better than Graterol. Duran throws his heater with a more efficient motion, and much better command. Third, if you're looking for excitement, nothing this season will match watching Gary Sanchez try to field Tyler Duffey's bouncing curve balls. I have literally seen little league catchers do a better job trapping balls in the dirt. Dick Bremmer wins the unintentional comedy award for saying, "Nice stop by Sanchez," after a Duffey curve bounced off his pads, hit the batter in the leg, then bounced back to Sanchez. One sign of a good team is that they can win efficiently. That's exactly what we saw today.

As I mentioned in the game thread, Tyler Duffey is easy to predict. If I were the bullpen coach and Duffey's warming up, I say to him, "Show me 94 high and tight, then low and outside." If he can't hump it up and hit those two corners, I don't send him out there to get murdered. Duffey cannot survive with 92 mph heat and so-so command. That is exactly what we saw today when he tried to close. He absolutely requires those extra two ticks and the corners of the zone. Otherwise, Alcala.

Not ready for season predictions, but for today's game... Twins score 6, Ryan K's 7, gives up 1 HR, then a variety of arms give up a few runs, but all's well because Taylor Rogers comes in to slam the... Oh wait...

First time I saw Chris Paddack, I was in San Diego, cheering the Pads as my second favorite team. I thought Paddack looked like a right-handed version of Clayton Kershaw. Big, easy motion, looked like he could pump heaters and curves all day long. A couple nasty years later, Paddack's future is a mystery. Does he have recurring elbow issues? Can the Twins famed pitcher whisperer get his mechanics straightened out? If so, Paddack could be huge for the Twins. Losing Rogers hurts, but not as much as some might think. Rogers was close to a sure thing for a long time, but he tended to fade late season. Now the team will need to try out several guys, some of whom have real heat. As mentioned before, if Joe Smith has any gas left, use him for 2 outings, then bring in Alcala. If Alcala looks great, then shift the load his way. Keep Rooker, or Larnach? Good call on that one. Larnach will be a good ballplayer for a long time. Rooker looks to me to be a passable fielder, power bat with strikeout issues. Nick Gordon is on his way to being a super-sub. His bat will play, not for dingers, but for gap hits and clutch. That, his good baserunning and his good glove will keep him employed - somewhere - for a long time in the mlb. Why not here? Celestino over Garlick - another savvy move. These choices happen in a very intense context - every guy in the minors appreciates promotions from within the organization. This shows the FO is looking for reasons to use home-grown talent at least as much as they're looking for deals elsewhere. Even if it doesn't work out, I'd rather see competition between Celestino and Larnach than either of them vs. an outsider.

Secret to a good bull pen is a good starting rotation. If you have a bunch of 5-inning guys, your pen will wear out and starting coughing up a lot of runs. Meanwhile, assuming the starters are okay, I'd platoon Alcala, Duran and Rogers at closer. Rogers looked most comfortable as a setup man. That leaves the two big fastball guys to blow away the opposition in the ninth. Split the emotional load.

The hardest thing to get about Simeon Wood-Richardson is his name. The easiest thing is to see a guy with stuff like Jordan Balazovic, but with a big, friendly smile for the world. Another easy thing is watching his slow curve bend about a foot, just catching the zone at the end of a pretty little trip through the air. You could just about see the catcher and the ump both smiling at how pretty it was. Then he comes back with that snapping fastball, low in the zone. This guy is a keeper. I want him on my team. Not sure how much more polish he needs after dominating the Red Sox for a couple late innings Monday. One challenge the team will face is figuring out a good nickname. Sim? Woo? Rich? SWR? Not sure what fits, it might not even be part of his name. He seems like the kind of relaxed, friendly guy you wish was your neighbor. I feel like calling him Frank, or Chuck. Anyway, his talent looks very real to me, and it doesn't look like just a couple snuff-out innings. This dude can really pitch.

Imagine these Twins (with Lennon's Imagine in the background) Imagine a healthy, confident Byron Buxton batting leadoff, all five tools intact and working. Imagine Carlos Correa batting right after Buxton, driving balls into the gaps, over the fences.... Imagine Jorge Polanco batting third, causing more havoc with two fast men ahead of him. Imagine sweet Luis Arraez, bat magician, knocking in the first three. Then steps up a towering doom of a man, grinning. Unleash the Sano! Then the shotgun bat of Kirilloff, spraying baseballs all over the outfield. Then Ryan Jeffers, seeking to prove he can hit it as hard as Sano. Then Kepler, trying to regain the old magic, from two years ago. Finally, that pesky little guy, Nick Gordon, doing whatever needs to be done. If he gets on base before Buxton, watch out. Imagine you're a starting pitcher, having to deal with that buzz saw of a lineup. You better not make a mistake... heh-heh... I think this Twins team is going to tear some pitching staffs to pieces. If their pitching staff is reasonably stingy, they could win a lot of games.

Heck, if Archer pitches just okay for half a season (4.3 ERA?), that might be the bridge to one of the young prospects to emerge as another good starter. Suppose Balazovic blows away the competition in St Paul, like a 2.00 ERA for half a season. Then if Archer's arm fails, Twins call up Blaze to fill the gap. Almost every season is a cobble job for this team. Just so happens that this year, they've got some pretty good stones for cobbling.

Premature judgement. Celestino is quite young, still emerging from the minor leagues. Cave is a veteran, so we know what to expect from him. The book is not yet written on Celestino's bat. Remember Tori Hunter? He was an easy out until he learned to lay off the outside curve. Twins sent him down at least three times to learn that lesson. Lots of people were ready to give up on him, because we all know if they don't explode right out of the gate, you might as well give up early. For some unknown reason, the Twins stuck with him. He was pretty good on defense... ?

Jovani Moran could be a surprise. The Padres once had a great closer in Trevor Hoffman, a guy with a 88-90 mph fastball, but a great change-up. Watching Moran's change drop off the table just before it gets to the plate, that reminds me of Hoffman's change. Hoffman threw his mild heater high, his change low, with the exact same motion. Hitters were helpless. Best part was, Hoffman lasted for years and years, never tearing his arm up with 100 mph heat or an arm-twisting slider.

Winder should stay. Larnach should play in St Paul. Boy, are the Saints going to be a stacked team this season! Come to think of it, I said that last year. Oddly, they didn't fare that well...

Bye-bye Jake Cave, bring up Gilberto Celestino. His defense is good enough to cover any of the OF positions, taking pressure off Gordon, who should be practicing SS, 2B, and 3B. Nothing against Super Utility guys, but we don't need one. We have Celestino for OF, Gordon for IF. It's a good way to balance the package. Caveat: We all know Celestino looked overmatched by big league pitching. Well, it's time for the young man to come to the plate with a real plan, and execute that plan. That said, if the Twins are thinking of bringing in an older veteran, he better be a good hitter. Otherwise, there's no point. Celestino already is an excellent fielder.

Isn't Archer on the verge of being another "tightrope veteran," that is, a guy whose velo is down around 90 mph, so he has to pitch like an artist to survive? Some guys can do it, but I haven't heard if Archer is one of them. He dominated when he could bring it in the upper 90's, but now he needs to be clever, and the question will hover over his season: Are none of the Twins pitching prospects better than this?

Regardless what production the Twins get from Correa, his incredible technique and work habits will be worth possible future gold gloves for Gordon, Martin, Lewis, Palacios, Miranda, and whoever else gets to take notes and observe this defensive marvel up close. Correa's defensive dive to his left was a perfect example. Not only did he dive and field a rising bounce; he then popped to his feet in perfect position, on balance and ready to deliver an accurate throw. Some guys pop to their feet, but then need to correct their body angle. Other guys pop to their feet, then deliver a wild throw. Correa shows how to do it perfectly. That's how you win a gold glove. That's how you win games.

I like what little I just saw of Cole Sands. Do you see his body language after the pitch? Total lack of concern, like he's sitting in a rocking chair. That's a cool customer on the mound. Like he's been a pitcher since he first started playing baseball. Cool Sands.

What's the problem with Josh Winder? He looked nervous in his first inning, then better in the 2nd. His stuff starts high and ends low. Once he settles in, he could be a very good #5 in the ro. All this talk about needing one more super veteran pitcher... The Twins look pretty set to me. If anything, the weak link appears to be the underwhelming stuff from Dylan Bundy, who seems to be entering the "tightrope walking" phase of his career. Not a whole lot of velo on the old heater, and I thought hitters were looking too comfortable in the box when Bundy was pitching. Luckily, the Twins have Vallimont, Strotman, Sands, Balazovic and Enlow - young strong arms waiting for their first chance to pitch meaningful games. If somebody falters in the first month, bring up whoever is stingiest with walks. Reward discipline, not power.

Gotta get Miranda's bat in that lineup. Twins are gonna need tons of runs.

Sounds like positional flexibility will be more important than ever for these young ballplayers. Advantage, Nick Gordon. With this much talent vying for so few positions, the resolution could come down to trades and injuries. Can any of these guys pitch?

I like Duran in the pen. More flames, and he gets time to settle in, renounce all butterflies, and let his carnivorous fastball feed off the life force of a hundred terrified hitters. Their energy will become his, because that is the nature of the hunter / prey relationship. In the end, baseball is frustrating for instinctual reasons. The ball looks so much like an egg, yet even a hard, wooden bat cannot crack it open for its nutritious contents. That is why MLB throws away so many balls. They continue to hope, against all evidence, that one of those balls will contain a creamy, nutritious middle. Foolish baseball players!

Dang it, now I'll have to re-up my mlb membership, so I can watch the Twins break my heart again. Correa will be the best Twins shortstop...maybe ever. Gotta see him and Polanco turn some double plays. As others mentioned, this takes the pressure off Lewis and Martin, no need to rush them to the club level. This also ensures strong D up the middle, for those young pitchers getting their first cuppa. Pretty sure this also means Jose Miranda will get a long look at 3rd base. Could be a serious lumber company in the infield. Miranda, Correa, Polanco, and...who? Kirilloff? That'd be my choice right now.

I was disturbed when I heard about Rortvedt leaving. His floor is Drew Butera defense, plus a possible chance at becoming a power hitter. On the other hand, I think Jeffers is going to be a solid, long-term starter for the Twins. He is so comfortable behind the plate, and to me he looks like an average hitter with some power. We are left to hope that José Godoy is a legit backstop, because Sanchez looks embarrassing.

I wanna see Alex Kirilloff spanking baseballs in a Twins uniform! Wanna wanna!

My Rortvedt guess is based entirely on the few times he did actually barrel up a pitch. The ball jumped out of the park like it had been tased. What I think the Yankees saw was an excellent defensive catcher that just might develop into a power hitter. They will not tone down his swing. Instead, they will work him on reading pitchers better, then swing for the fences like a good Yankee.